Lantern-holder.



No. 844,612. y y PATENTED PEB. '19, 1907.

l W. T. GOVER. LANTERN HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.9.1906.

- @Fa/y@ i i. Y. A fr0/e155 UNITE l WILLIAM T. GOVER, OF CATLE'IT, VIRGINIA.

. LANTERN-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 19, 1907.

Application filed August 9. 1906. Serial No. 829,934.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM T. Govnu, a citizen of the United States, residing at Catlett, in the county of F uqiier and State of Virginia, have invented a new and rsehl Lantern-Holder, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to holders such as are adapted particularly for supporting carriage-lanterns and the like.

The objects of the invention are to improve and simplify the construction of srch devices furthermore, to increase their etticiency in operation and to decrease the expense attending their manufacture,

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of the following claims without departingl from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a lantern-holder constructed in accordance with the invention, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing a lantern applied to the holder.

Like reference-numerals indicate corresponding parts in the different figures of the drawings.

The improved lantern-holder of this invention preferably comprises a bracket (indicated generally by A) for securing the device to a vehicle or other stpport and a frame (indicated generally by B) for supporting the lantern.

The bracket A preferably is approximately U-shaped and is formed with a short arm 1 and a long arm 2. The short arm 1 of the U-shaped bracket A is formed in its outer face with a transverse groove 3 and is adapted to serve as one jaw of a clamp, the other jaw 4 of which is in the nature of a plate having in its inner face a groove 5. The jaws 1 and I of the clamp preferably are connected with each other by means of an adjrstingscrew 6, having its head 7 disposed against the outer face of the plate or jaw f1 and its inner end located within the U-shaped bracket A, which provides a space sufficient to permit said adjusting-screw to be moved inward to clamp the jaws 1 and 4 'firmly together, so that the lantern-holder can be Ylirmly held i pon the side rail 8 or other si itable portion of a vehide or other si pport.

The frane B of the lantern-holder preferably is formed of a single liar of n'etal t), which is lrent into stbstantially rectangi lar shape, as shown. At the inner corners ofthe frame B the bar 9 is bent to form o1 twardly and oppositely extending open-ended loops 10, the terminals 11 of said bar being extended through the ends of a cross-piece 12 and clenched or other ise suitably secr red thereto. At the otter corners of the frame B the bar 9 is bent to form loops 13, having their inner ends crossed, as shown, and connected by an outer cross-piece 14, which consists of a portion of the bar E) and is located in a different plane from the, remainder of the frame B. The inner loops 1() and the outerl loops 13 serve as guard members for holding the clamping-spring 15 of the lantern 16 securely in position upon the 'frame B, so as to prevent the same from either slipping outward or inward on said frame, it being understood that when the lantern is appliedto the frame B one of the loops 10 will project upward at one edge of the spring 15 and one of the loops 13 willprojcct upward at the opposite edge of said spring to hold it in position. Furthermore, it will be observed that the outer cross-piece lil of the frame will extend in a parallel direction along one edge of the spring 15 and will thus aid the outer loops 13 in holding said spring firmly in position.

The frame B is rotatively mounted upon the bracket A in such manner that said bracket will be adapted to be engaged with any suitable portion of the vehicle,whether it be a horizontal or a vertical rod, and also the frame B after the bracket A has been secured in position will be adapted to be adjusted in any suitable manner to reflect the light of the lantern either in a horizontal direction along the road without having the same obscured by the h orses or ina downward direction to illuminate the road immediately in advance of the vehicle. The preferred means for rotatively connecting the frame B with the bracket A consists of a thumb-screw 17, which extends through the inner cross-piece 12 of the ltrame B and the long arm 2 of the bracket A, the inner end of said thumb-screw being disposed at the inner side of the long arm 2 of the bracket and the thumb portion or handle of said screw 17 ICC IIO

being disposed at the outer side of the crosspiece 12 Within the frame B, as shown.

It will be observed by the dotted line that the inner loops 10 of the frame B serve to hold the inner edge of the clamping-spring 15 of the lantern a suficient distance away from the inner cross-piece 12 to cause it to clear the outer end of the handle 18 of the thumb-screw 17, so that the operation of said thumb-screw will not be retarded by the clamping-spring 15. For the purpose of holding the Jframe B securely in adjusted position with respect to the bracket A the long arm 2 of said bracket is provided on its outer Jface With an annular series of teeth 19, Which are adapted to intermesh With a similar series of teeth 2O on the inner face of the crosspiece 12 of the Jiframe B, so that Whenever the thumb-screw 17 is tightened the sets of teeth 19 and 20 Will be forced together, so as to hold the frame B securely in adjusted position. The central portion of the inner crosspiece 12 preferably is thickened, as indicated at 21, in order to provide space for the annular series of teeth 20.

It Will be observed that the space between the arms 1 and 2 of the U-shaped bracket A affords a clearance for the inner ends of the adjusting-screw 6 and the thumb-screw 17, so that said screws can be adujsted to the proper extent Without having their inner ends abut against the opposite sides of the bracket.

The improved lantern-h0lder of this invention'is strong, simple, durable, and inexpensive in construction, as Well as thoroughly efhcient in operation.

What is claimed is 1. A lantern-holder comprising arectangular trame formed from a rod having guard-loops bent at its corners, and a bracket adjustably connected With said frame and having clamping means.

2. A lantern-holder comprising an approximately U-shaped bracket having a long arm and a short arm, said short arm being formed in its outer face with a groove, a clamping-plate iitted against the outer face of said short arm and having a groove in its inner face, an adjusting-screw extending through said clamping-plate and through the short arm of said bracket and having its inner end disposed in the space between the arms of said bracket, a Jframe consisting of an inner cross-piece, a bar of metal having its ends connected with said cross-piece and being bent to Jform a rectangular structure having oppositely extending openended guard-loops at its inner ends and crossed guard-loops at its outer corners, an annular series of teeth upon the inner Jface of said cross-piece, a similar series of teeth on the outer face of the long arm of said bracket, and a thumb-screw having its handle disposed Within said trame and extending through said cross-piece and the long arm of said bracket. l

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto atliXed my signature in the presence of tWo Witnesses.

WILLIAM T. GOVER.

Witnesses:

E. HUME TALBERT, E. DANIELs. 

